


The Orange SOUL

by astralpenguin



Series: Humans Underground [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Child Death, Gen, Non-Binary Chara, Pre-Canon, Reader Is Bravery, Reader Is Chara, Self-Hatred, Sharing a Body, Temporary Character Death, foregone conclusion, gender discussion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-29 05:53:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8477761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralpenguin/pseuds/astralpenguin
Summary: A child falls into the Underground





	1. The Ruins

**Author's Note:**

> part 3 commences !!

It’s happened again.

You’re in a physical body, which is currently in a lot of pain.

Before you can do anything, it starts to move.

***

What happened?

Why are you lying on the ground in the dark.

You sit up.

Ouch!

Your right arm is killing you. You must’ve landed on it.

Wait, landed?

You look around.

You’re in some sort of cave. There’s a load of golden flowers beneath you and you can see a hole above. For a moment you can see something blocking the light, but then it disappears. Had someone been calling for you? Who had you even been with?

You can’t remember right now.

Your legs feel fine, so you stand up. You stay upright for a second, before crashing back down to the floor.

You succeed in standing on your second attempt. Hesitantly, you take a step forwards. Then another. You make your way off of the flower patch.

You look up again. Surely a drop of that height should’ve killed you. How come it didn’t? There’s no way that those flowers could’ve broken your fall by anything significant. So how are you still alive.

You decide not to worry about it too much. You  _ are  _ alive, and that’s what should really matter.

You chance a look at your arm.

It looks like there’s one bend too many in it. You have to bite down on your tongue to stop yourself from screaming. You look away.

You’re alone, in an underground cave, with a broken arm. What are you going to do?

You tell yourself not to panic.

Perhaps there’s a way out?

You look around the cave you’re in, and see a gap near the end. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be man-made. An actual doorway, with symbols and inscriptions carved around it.

You go through.

You walk through another doorway to see some steps. Proper, cleanly made steps.

Okay,  _ someone  _ definitely lives down here. You’re not alone after all!

The alternative is that you’ve just discovered the remnants of an ancient civilisation and will be lauded by people in years to come for your discovery.

Provided you find a way out, of course.

_ “I’d be careful if I were you.” _

“Who said that!” You turn around, but there’s nobody there. Slowly, you turn back to the stairs, and begin to climb them. You must’ve imagined it. There’s no-one in the room with you.

The next room is also empty. There are buttons on the floor, a lever on the wall, and a sign. The door out is locked. On it is this same symbol you keep seeing everywhere.

_ “Delta Rune.” _

There it is again! You look around, and no, there’s definitely nobody following you. You’re completely alone.

You walk up to the sign and read it.

‘Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road.’

...Huh?

***

You’ve decided to take a backseat. Just watch. This kid seems to be able to move forward on their own.

Or, at least, they were.

Now they’re stuck in this puzzle room.

The puzzle’s new. It wasn’t here when you were alive, or when you came through with Cyan. But it’s not hard to figure out what needs to be done.

You don’t think it’s hard.

They need to press the buttons on the outside of the pattern. The ones not on the ‘middle road’. It really couldn’t be much clearer.

This kid, though, seems to be struggling. A lot. They pace around the room, possibly thinking about what to do. Or they could be pacing for the hell of it. You can’t quite tell.

When they race over to the door and start punching it with their good arm you feel as though you  _ have  _ to step in.

_ “You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that.” _

They stop suddenly and whirl around. “Who’s there?!” they call out. You can feel a slight sense of panic come from them.

_ “You’re not going to be able to see me. I’m a ghost.” _

“What?”

_ “I’m a ghost. And you don’t have to speak out loud to me, just think in my general direction.” _

“I must be losing it.”

_ “You’re not! My name is Chara, I died when I was 14, I lived down here, and you’re not the first person that I’ve ended up linked to.” _

“Possessed, you mean?”

_ “Well, yeah. Believe me I’d much rather go on to whatever afterlife there is than be stuck here. Anyway, my point was I know how to get you out of this room.” _

“You do?”

_ “Yes. Would you like me to tell you, or just do it?” _

“Just do it.”

Well, they asked.

You assume control and walk over to the buttons on the floor. You stomp hard on the correct ones, and hear a clicking sound as the door unlocks. You walk over and push, and it swings open. You hand control back to the kid-who-can’t-solve-simple-riddles.

“What the hell was that?!”

_ “That was me solving this sorry excuse for a puzzle. And please don’t speak to me out loud, or you’ll draw attention to yourself.” _

“Why would I be worried about drawing attention to myself? There’s nobody down here.”

_ “There is. And I don’t know why, but they killed the last kid who fell down here. It’s probably safe to assume they’ll do the same to you.” _

“Nobody’s fallen down here since before I was born. Whoever did the killing’s probably dead by now.”

_ “...Tell me about yourself. How old are you?” _

He sits down against a wall and begins to talk. “My name is *****, I’m 10 years old, and I’m still not entirely convinced that I’m not going crazy.”

_ “Are you a boy?” _

“Well, duh! I have a boy’s name, don’t I?”

_ “I couldn’t understand your name. It’s nothing to do with you, it happened with the kid that came before you, too. I called them Cyan instead.” _

“Why Cyan?”

_ “That was the colour of their SOUL. And if you keep being so loud we’ll find out the colour of yours soon.” _

“Huh?”

_ “SOULs. Everyone has one. And what colour it is depends on your most prominent trait. Cyan’s was cyan because they were patient to the point of irritation. Mine’s red because I am determined as fuck.” _

“You can’t say that!”

_ “Course I can. You’re the only one who can hear me, so it doesn’t matter.” _

“Do you even  _ have  _ a SOUL anymore? You’re dead aren’t you?”

_ “I’d like to think that I do. Otherwise I’m just a floating consciousness that can’t get to where it’s meant to be. I feel a bit better about my SOUL being stuck too.” _

“That’s weird. You’re weird.”

_ “I’m dead. And at least  _ I  _ could solve that brain-numbingly easy puzzle back there.” _

“...What was this ‘Cyan’ like then?”

_ “They were seven. They wore a pink dress with white stripes on the skirt. They had a pink ribbon in their hair and carried around a plastic toy knife, for some reason.” _

“So she was a little girl?”

_ “I don’t know. I didn’t get the chance to ask.” _

“But surely you must know.”

_ “Nope.” _

“You said she was wearing a pink dress with a ribbon!”

_ “That doesn’t mean anything. I’m not a boy or a girl, so I know that it sucks when people assume.” _

“How come you’re not a boy or girl? What about your privates?”

_ “Well, as a ghost, I don’t have any right now.” _

“That’s not what I meant, I - “

He spots movement up ahead and stops talking.

_ “I told you to be quiet.” _

He ignores you as he stands. He takes a few steps away from the wall and holds his good arm out in front of him, curling his hand into a fist. You can see the worn, pink glove that he's wearing.

The moving thing is close enough for you to recognise now. It’s Toriel! You relax, and try to tell him to do so, but he refuses to put his fist down.

Toriel’s definitely noticed him, as she rushes over towards you.

“Oh my child, did you just fall down? Your arm looks like it is injured. You must be so frightened! Worry not, let me heal you.” She reaches out towards his broken arm.

He steps back towards the wall so she can’t touch him.

_ “Listen, I know she looks scary, but Toriel’s cool. She’s pretty much the only one you can trust. And she  _ can  _ heal your arm. It must hurt a lot, right?” _

Hesitantly, he steps forwards and allows her to cast her healing magic on his arm. Within five seconds, it’s as if it was never broken.

“There you go, innocent one, I have healed you. My name is Toriel. I am the Caretaker of the Ruins.”

_ “Ruins?” _

“Ruins?” he says aloud, echoing your question.

“Yes, my child. Not too long ago this was a town that was full of life. However, there was an incident in which large amounts of damage were caused and a child such as yourself was killed. Many people moved out after that.”

“...People?”

“Oh yes, I forgot, you are from the Surface, are you not?” He nods. “Here in the Underground is the Kingdom of Monsters. You are the only human currently down here. Unfortunately, you will be unable to leave.” She grabs his hand and begins to lead him through the ‘Ruins’.

“Why can’t I leave?”

“It is not that I wish to hold you here against your will. There is a magical barrier that keeps us trapped in the Underground. Anyone may enter, but leaving requires power greater than a single human SOUL. Therefore you will be unable to leave.”

“Oh.”

***

She leads you to a house. It looks nice, you guess.

It’s a house. Chara seems to be getting nostalgic, but to you, it is just a house.

“This will be your home while you live down here.”

“...Okay”

“Would you like to see your room?”

She has a room for you already? “Sure,” you say. “Lead the way.”

You follow her down the hall to the first room on the left. She shows you in and leaves to do something. You don’t know what.

_ “This is mine and Azzy’s old room. Look, nothing’s changed at all!” _

“Azzy?”

_ “Oh my God she will hear you! Think in my direction if you want to talk to me, or she’ll think there’s something wrong with you.” _

_ “Like this?” _

_ “Yes! Exactly like that!” _

_ “So who’s Azzy?” _

They go quiet. They’re silent for long enough that you’ve started to think that they’ve gone when they say,  _ “he was my brother. Toriel was my Mum. Asgore was my Dad, but he killed Cyan, so I don’t really know what’s going on there.” _

_ “ _ Was  _ your brother?” _

_ “We died on the same day.” _

_ “Oh.” _

_ “She won’t be happy if you say his name out loud. So don’t do it, okay?” _

_ “I won’t.” _

They seem satisfied with this, and leave you to look around. They occasionally make comments based on what you see, but for the most part don’t intervene.

Eventually, Toriel calls you for dinner.


	2. Some Answers

You instantly recognise what she’s made for dinner, but the boy has no idea what he’s about to be eating.

The nice thing to do would be to take over, and spare him from the taste. You know that you can deal with it. You lived with her for two years, after all. Snail pie has become a staple in your diet.

That’s the nice thing to do.

The  _ fun  _ thing, however...

You watch as he sits down, picks up some cutlery, and takes a bite.

Well, the kid understands good manners, at least.

You can feel him gag and recoil and question his entire life, but outwardly he shows no signs of this to Toriel. He notices her looking at him, with this hopeful look in her eyes, so he smiles.

“It’s okay,” he says.

He takes another bite.

_ “Stop laughing.” _

You try, but it’s too funny. He’s trying so hard to be polite! But he’s finding the pie to be so bad that it’s painful! It’s so funny, you think that you’d be crying if you were able to.

Finally, you show mercy.  _ “I can eat it for you, if you want.” _

_ “Do it!” _

It takes a moment for you to regain your composure. Once you have, you take control of his body. You take a bite of the pie.

...You can taste it!

You hadn’t been able to taste it when  _ he  _ was in control, but now you’re controlling the body you can!

You find yourself tearing up. You hadn’t really expected that to work.

“My child, are you alright?”

“Yes,” you say, “I’m fine. I’m good. This is great. Thank you so much.”

“Ah well, as long as you are happy, I will gladly make this again.”

You can’t help but give a teary laugh at the boy’s horror at this statement. 

You ask yourself why it’s snail pie, of all things, that you’re getting emotional about. You don’t even like it that much. You can just tolerate it. Familiarity, you suppose.

“That would be nice,” you say. The boy starts yelling at you. With a smile, you add, “but maybe we could have some other flavours too?”

Toriel beams. “Of course, small one. I would like that also.”

The boy sighs in relief. You eat the rest of the pie slice, before handing control back to him.

“My child, you must be feeling very tired.” He nods. “It is time that you were going to bed. Would you like me to tuck you in?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Would you like anything before you go?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

“Well then, you had best go straight to bed.”

He nods, and slides off the chair. He waves at Toriel and walks down the hall into your old room.

_ “That was his bed. I guess you can sleep there.” _

_ “Where did you sleep when you were here?” _

_ “They put a mattress down for me.” _

_ “That’s not very nice.” _

_ “No! It was! They didn’t have another bed, was all! We moved to New Home shortly after I fell and I had my own bed there! They weren’t obligated to be nice to me like that, but they were!” _

_ “Okay, I get it, you were super happy with a mattress on the floor.”  _ He walks over to the cupboard.  _ “Any pajamas in here?” _

_ “I think we left some behind when we moved. Try the bottom shelf.” _

He does, and there are some. They’re white, and covered with thin blue stripes. He gets changed fairly quickly, and dumps the clothes he was wearing on the floor. Muddy white shoes, a brown pair of trousers, a red and gold striped t-shirt, those pink gloves, and a yellow piece of cloth he had tied around his head.

_ “Hey, let’s have a closer look at that yellow thing.” _

He picks it back up.

_ “It’s my manly bandanna! It makes me stronger.” _

_ “What’s that black mark on it?” _

_ “That’s its abs!” _

He has drawn abs on his bandanna. Why would somebody draw abs onto a piece of clothing? You ask him this.

_ “Because it makes it look tougher, which in turn makes me look tougher.” _

He seems to think that this is an amazing feat of logic, so you decide not to shatter his bubble.

He puts the bandanna back on the pile of clothes and gets into the bed.

He’s asleep within a minute. He must’ve been really tired.

You, however, are struggling. You don’t know if it’s just normal struggling-to-sleep or if, as a ghost, you’re unable to. So you end up thinking instead.

If the last time somebody disappeared up Mount Ebott was 10 years ago, then it’s been  _ at least  _ 10 years since you died.

So if you hadn’t you’d be  _ at least  _ 24 by now.

Wow.

That’s a weird thought. You’d be an adult. Asriel would be an adult.

Asriel.

You and him had been able to pass through the Barrier together, as that had equaled more power than a single human SOUL.

So, logically, you could get this kid home too. Because a ghost is the same as a SOUL, right? You think so. Which means that currently, there are two SOULs in this body. Two human SOULs.

Which is more than enough power!

It’s kinda risky for you. You could end up stuck with him forever. You could end up having to deal with humans again.

Which brings the question, why don’t you hate this kid? And why didn’t you hate Cyan?  _ They’re  _ human aren’t they?

Yes. They are. But they’d also climbed the mountain. They’d also fallen into the Underground. Humanity had clearly failed them, too.

So if you can’t destroy that good-for-nothing species, you could at least help someone who was hurt by them.

But you could end up having to deal with humanity.

Or you might fade away the moment you leave the Underground.

...

That wouldn’t be a problem. You’ve been dead for at least a decade. You don’t think being able to actually  _ move on  _ would be too much to ask for.

Besides, you’d like to tell As...

No.

Don’t think about that.

There’s nothing to be done about that now.

But if this kid wants to go home, you’ll try your hardest to get him there.

***

You wake to the smell of cinnamon wafting through the air. You don’t recognise your surroundings for a moment, then you remember what happened yesterday.

The fall.

The ghost-with-a-girly-name-but-not-actually-a-girl.

Toriel.

You close your eyes again. You don’t want to get up.

_ “Come on sleepyhead, you can’t stay in bed all day.” _

“Can too,” you murmur.

_ “Did you know I can’t sleep? I only just found that out! So I’m hella bored and you are getting up right now!” _

You roll over.

Your body kicks the duvet away from you and sits up. Its legs swing out so you’re sitting on the edge of the bed, and stands on the ground.

_ “See? You are now up.” _

_ “That wasn’t fair.” _

_ “You’re up, though. Now get dressed and get some food. I think she’s made pancakes. I want at least one for me.” _

You start getting dressed.  _ “But she made them for  _ me _.” _

_ “I ate the snail pie for you last night, didn’t I?” _

_ “That was SNAILS?” _

They laugh.  _ “Yep! It’s definitely an acquired taste. Like olives, but much worse.” _

_ “I hate olives.” _

_ “I used to.” _

You’re fully dressed now, so you leave the bedroom and follow the smell into the kitchen. Toriel’s in there, making what does indeed look like pancakes. She doesn’t see you at first, but notices you after a few moments.

“Good morning, my child. Did you have a good sleep?”

You nod.

“I am just making breakfast for you. I do hope that you like cinnamon.”

“I love it.”

“That is excellent. If you would sit yourself down at the table, It will only be a minute longer.”

You nod, and go sit at the table.

Your feet don’t quite reach the floor, so you begin swinging your legs.

_ “Cyan died in this room.” _

_ “Thanks for that.”  _ You roll your eyes. Even if they can’t see you, they should be able to feel it.

_ “Sorry. It’s just, they were a good kid. They didn’t deserve that. I don’t know why he did it.” _

_ “I can ask, if you want.” _

_ “Do not do that.” _

_ “Yeah, she’d probably get really confused.” _

Toriel comes out with the pancakes at that moment, and you focus entirely on them. You let Chara have the first one, and you have the rest.

They’re amazing.

One of the best things you’ve ever eaten.

Ever.

In your whole life.

They’re gone before you know it. You end up staring at the empty plate, trying to will some more into existence. 

But none appear. Reality just doesn’t work like that.

Toriel chuckles. “Well, I am glad to see that you like them. Shall I make the same again tomorrow?”

“Yes please!”

She smiles. “Very well. For now, how about you go and play? There are plenty of toys in your room. There is a small courtyard outside our home that you may use. However, please do not go any further than that.”

“Why not?”

She hesitates, before saying, “There are some who would hurt you. It is best if you stay close by. That way they will know that you are under my protection.”

Chara takes over. “Why would they hurt me?” they ask.

Toriel sighs. “Because you are a human. Not too long ago, the King declared war upon humanity. All humans who come down here are to be killed, and their SOULs collected so that we may one day destroy the Barrier and leave. One child has been killed already.”

You feel Chara’s shock at this. “Why would he do that?”

“He was angry. Humans were responsible for the death of his son. Our son. He wanted revenge. Whether he still does, I do not know, but he has not retracted his decree. I cannot support him with this, which is why I am here and caring for you, innocent one.”

You feel as though Chara’s about to start crying, so you take over. “When did they last see a human, though? Some of them might not even realise I am one.”

Toriel appears to think for a moment. “Yes,” she begins, “I suppose that this could be the case. The last child fell 10 years ago, although this was only a few months after the decree was made. Many will recognise you as a human, but some will not. It would be safer to exercise caution, and not to stray too far.”

You nod. You know that you’ll be careful.

***

It’s your fault.

It’s your fault that Asgore killed Cyan.

It’s all because you let Asriel die!

No, he let himself die. You could’ve wiped out humanity with your shared power and then none of this would’ve happened! If he’d just let you finish the job then...

Then Cyan would’ve still died.

They only fell a couple of months after the decree. Only a couple of months after you died. No wonder Asgore didn’t show any mercy, he would’ve still been angry and grieving!

If you hadn’t’ve eaten those buttercups, if you hadn’t’ve died, then Cyan would probably have become part of the family too! They would’ve been a younger sibling to you and Asriel!

That would’ve been nice.

But no. You got Asriel killed. You got Cyan killed. You got yourself stuck as a stupid ghost who can’t do anything by themself.

Well done Chara, you can’t do anything right!

Well, you can possibly do  _ something  _ right now.

It’s not safe for this kid to stay down here. It sounds like the majority of monsters will recognise him and try to kill him.

If he wants to stay, that’s his choice. But if he wants to go, he deserves the opportunity.

_ “Do you want to go home?”  _ you ask him.

_ “...What?” _

_ “Do you want to go home? There are two SOULs in this body. Yours and mine. That’s more than enough power to get you out.” _

_ “Chara, are you - “ _

_ “It’s my fault that the monsters will try and kill you. I swear they’re usually really kind and loving and not murderous. It’s entirely my fault, so it’s only fair to offer this to you.” _

_ “...How is it your fault?” _

_ “I got my brother killed. The King’s son.” _

_ “You said that you died on the same day.” _

_ “We did. And it was my fault. I don’t want to talk about it. Do you want to go home? Yes or no?” _

He thinks about it.  _ “Yeah. I don’t want to be trapped down here forever.” _

_ “Okay,”  _ you say,  _ “we’re leaving tonight.” _


	3. Walking In A Winter Wonderland...?

Toriel makes some kind of vegetable stew for dinner. You let him eat all of it himself. It could possibly be his last proper meal before he ~~dies~~ leaves the Underground.

Not to mention that if you try any more of her cooking you might not be able to bring yourself to leave.

So he eats it all. He seems to really like it, but you don’t ask for his opinion, and he doesn’t volunteer it.

When Toriel sends him off to bed, you tell him not to change into the pajamas. You make sure that he lies awake until you’re sure that Toriel has definitely fallen asleep.

_“Okay, she’s asleep. We should start to leave.”_

He sits up and gets out of bed. He walks over to his shoes, before you stop him.

_“Your shoes are useless. We’ll have to go through Snowdin, where it’s, you know, snowy? Your feet will freeze in those.”_

_“But they’re my favourites.”_

_“Too bad. Ditch them. There’s a pair of wellies in the corner there. Yes, the green ones. They should fit you.”_

Reluctantly, he puts them on. He places his own shoes where the boots has been.

_“They’re a bit big.”_

_“Better too big than too small.”_

He goes to the cupboard and grabs a coat. _“Will this be enough?”_

_“I think so. You’ve got your gloves, anyway. That should help.”_

_“How do I get out of the Ruins then? I didn’t see a way out before.”_

_“I’ll lead. It’s better if I do it, seeing as I know the way and shortcuts and stuff.”_

_“...Do you think she’ll be worried?”_

_“What, Toriel? Yes. Come to think of it, we should write a note or something. So that she knows where you’ve gone.”_

_“Okay. You can write it, though.”_

You find a piece of paper and a pencil in the living room. You sit down at the table and write:

_Toriel, thank you so much for looking after me. I’m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye, but I want to go home. I’ll be okay._

_“That okay?”_ you ask him.

He nods.

You take the piece of paper and place it on the bed.

Then, you walk down to the basement.

***

You’d wondered what Toriel was keeping down here. You’re slightly disappointed to find that there’s nothing. It’s just a corridor.

There’s a door at the far end. Again, it’s got that symbol on it. You keep seeing it everywhere. Chara knew what it was called, so they probably know what it means, too. But you decide to ask them later.

They reach out and push open the door.

They walk through and push open the next door.

They step through.

Into snow.

The door swings shut behind you and you stare at the snow all around you. There are pine trees here. How are there pine trees underground? How is there _snow_ underground? Chara had told you it would be here but you hadn’t quite believed them.

You do now.

_“Do you want to walk now, or should I keep doing it?”_

_“Which way?”_

_“Follow the path, dumbass.”_

_“I can manage that!”_

You start to move forwards. The snow crunches under your feet, like it’s only just fallen. The crunch of the snow gives you a sense of determination.

There aren’t any people around. Chara says that that’s because it’s the middle of the night and everyone’s at home, asleep, but you can’t help but find it creepy. Toriel was the only living thing that you saw in the Ruins as well. The lack of evident life is concerning, especially is the Underground is supposed to be teeming with it.

Where is everyone?

 _“Stop complaining. They're probably going to try and kill you, remember? It's best if we_ don't _see anyone.”_

They're not wrong.

Soon you come across a small, wooden building. And by small, you mean hotdog-stand-small. Like everywhere else, there doesn't appear to be anyone around.

 _“Can we stop here?”_ you ask.

_“...What?”_

_“I'm tired.”_

_“If we get into town we can hide better.”_

_“I don't know if I can make it that far!”_

Chara (correctly) grumbles about you being over-dramatic and that you could easily make it into town, but they let you curl up inside the hut.

You sleep.

***

He sleeps.

You listen out, resolving to wake him up quickly if you can hear anyone coming.

But he'd just complain again, wouldn't he? If there's one thing this kid loves, it's his sleep.

You have an idea.

You have no idea if it'll work, but it's worth a try, right?

You open his eyes.

He stays asleep.

You sit his body up.

He stays asleep.

You take full control of his body and leave the hut.

He doesn't wake up.

You can continue the journey while he sleeps!

Smiling to yourself, you carry on walking down the path.

There are two puzzles along the way, but you ignore them. They don't actually obstruct the way through so it doesn't matter. You can tell what you would've needed to do just by glancing at them. But you can't afford to waste time by stopping to complete them. Plus, that would leave even more of a trail than the footprints already are.

You're _so_ glad you made him switch his shoes for these wellies. His feet are still cold, but at least they're dry. And are going to stay that way.

You reach Snowdin Town before morning.

You reckon that you should probably be somewhere warm and dry before he wakes up. You need to be able to explain what you did to him. Otherwise he might panic.

You walk over to the inn. That should still be open. It never closed when you were alive, and you can't think of any immediate reasons why that would've changed over the last decade.

Wow, it's been a decade.

Before you reach the door, you stop and look around.

Snowdin hasn't changed at all.

You aren't sure how you feel about that.

With a nod, you turn back to the door and walk inside.

The warm air hits you and you become acutely aware of how cold your face is.

Behind the counter is a small bunny-type monster. They appear to be asleep, and didn't see you come in. You walk away from the door, closer to the counter.

Will this monster recognise a human when they see one? If so, will they report you? Try to kill you? There's no way of knowing.

You try to SAVE, try to feel determined.

...You feel determined, all right, but there's something missing.

You felt him SAVE earlier, so you know he can. But why can't you do it yourself anymore?

Are you not strong enough?

Gently, you wake him up.

“Wh- what...?”

_“Shh. I need you to feel determined for a sec, then you can go back to sleep.”_

_“Can I be determined to go to sleep?”_

_“Yes! Just do it!”_

You feel a rather strong sense of determination pulse from his SOUL, before he falls instantly back to sleep.

Right. He's SAVED. Now you can try to interact with this bunny.

You reach over the counter and poke them. Not too hard that it hurts, but enough that they'd have to be in a coma not to notice.

They notice, and jerk awake.

You throw your hands up. “Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!”

The bunny smiles at you. “That's okay, don't worry about it! I shouldn't have been sleeping on the job, anyway. You want a room, yes?”

You smile in relief. They don't seem to realise that you're (or, rather, that _he’s_ ) human. “That would be great.”

“What are you, anyway? A tourist?”

You nod.

“Well, welcome to Snowdin Town! It's a lot busier during the day, and shops and things are actually open, so there'll be more to do then. How many nights will you be staying for?”

“...I'm not sure yet. Put me down for one and I'll get back to you in the morning.”

“No problem! That'll be 50G.”

Oh. Rooms at the inn cost money. Money that you do not have. You freeze in place. What do you say? What can you do?

“...you okay there, kiddo?”

You swallow. “Yeah, sorry, I don't have 50G. Or any Gold at all to be honest. Sorry, I hadn't thought about that.” You turn to go.

“Wait! I can't let you stay outside! You don't have fur, you'll freeze! Is there anything you can give as payment? At all?”

You look down at his body. The coat. That belongs to you, not to the boy (whose SOUL colour you still don't know). You had really liked this coat, but had outgrown it by the time your family moved to New Home. That's why it had stayed behind. But it's _yours_. So it's yours to give away. You're not that far away from Waterfall anyway. You'd only end up ditching it when you get there.

You shrug the coat off of his shoulders and hand it over to the bunny. They look a little... conflicted about taking it. But they don't refuse.

“This is worth around 100G. That's two nights. Are you sure?”

His gloves would be worth less. You only need to pay for one night.

You nearly switch.

...But the gloves don't belong to you.

“Yes. I'm sure.”

“Okay, then. You're in the second room on the left.” They hand you a key.

You thank them, and hurry up the stairs.

When you get into the room, you slide off the wellies and lie down on top of the bedcovers. You hand control back over to the sleeping boy and feel his body get heavier.

***

You wake up in a warm room, on an actual bed. However, before you have a chance to be confused, Chara starts talking.

_“I found out that I could move your body even when you're asleep. So I walked us into town and got an actual room at the inn. It's booked for two nights, but I recommend that we just keep going.”_

_“What did you pay for this room?”_

_“My coat. Don't worry, we’re nearly at Waterfall. We would've ended up ditching it there anyway. It's fine.”_

Well, if they're sure that it's okay, you aren't going to question them on it.

...Hang on, did something happen during the night?

You feel like it did.

_“Chara? Did I wake up during the night?”_

_“Oh, yeah. I woke you up for a moment.”_

_“Why?”_

They pause for a moment. Then, they begin to explain.


	4. A New Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't think there are any pov switches in this chapter

_“When I was alive, I had this weird ability. It was like I was in a video game. Are those still a thing? Of course they are. Well it was like that. In the event of my death, which happened a couple of times -_

_“Because I was dumb. I don’t really want to go into details about it now._

_“If I died, I ended up at a sort of menu-screen-type-thing. I had two options. ‘CONTINUE’ and ‘RESET’._

_“I never pressed ‘RESET’, so I don’t know what it would’ve done. But if I pressed ‘CONTINUE’ then I would wake up at the last point at which I’d been filled with determination. You could call that the last point at which I SAVED. That’s what_ I _call it, anyway._

_“Cyan, the kid who fell before you, could do the same thing. But their options were different. Instead of ‘RESET’, it said ‘DO NOT’. They died permanently when they hit that._

_“So that’s why I woke you up. Because I can’t SAVE on my own anymore. I’ve tried, and I can’t. But I’d felt you SAVE before. So I got you to SAVE, just in case the bunny who was at the counter last night tried to kill us. I didn’t want to have to walk through the snow again.”_

It doesn’t sound like something that can possibly be true. “You’ve made that up!” you accuse, aloud.

_“I haven’t! I don’t know how it works, but I’m not making it up!”_

“Yeah, right.” You get up and pull your wellies on, preparing to go outside.

 _“If you want you can get some food here before you go back out,”_ they say.

“Would that be a good idea?” you ask.

Silence.

“Chara?”

Still no response.

“Great, you’re sulking. Well that’s marvelous,” you mutter to yourself as you grab the room’s key and head downstairs. You _will_ get some food. You don’t need Chara’s help with everything. You can manage on your own for a little bit!

...

You need money to get food.

That was a problem that you had not anticipated.

But you’re _so_ hungry, that when you see the bunny-shaped buns they have available at the shop, you feel compelled to get one.

You end up being able to trade a glove for two buns. Somehow you show the self restraint needed to not eat them before you get back to your room.

Once you get back, you eat them both.

Slowly.

Savouring every crumb.

They taste of cinnamon and warmth, and you love every mouthful.

They’re not as good as those pancakes Toriel made for you yesterday, but they’re still great.

Toriel.

You wonder how she’s doing. You did leave a note, so she should be okay. It’s not like you just vanished. Besides, she should be proud of you! For all she knows, you’re just a small kid traversing the Underground alone. It would take real courage to be able to do that! She doesn’t know that Chara’s here with you.

Speaking of...

 _“Chara,”_ you say, _“are you still there?”_

You don’t get an actual _response_ , but you feel their presence pulse, as if to say _‘yes I’m here but I don’t want to talk to you.’_

_“Why are you ignoring me?”_

No response.

“Fine!” You stand up sharply and walk for the door, saying, “I just need to follow the path, right? I can manage without you!”

You hand the key in at the inn’s reception and get given a refund of 50G. You pocket it, leave the building, and turn left to walk through town. The thought of completing some of the journey on your own fills you with determination.

Monsters of all shapes, sizes, and colours are moving around you. They exit their homes and go about their daily lives. You would be staring in wonder, if you weren’t currently distracted by another issue.

It’s freezing!

You hadn’t realised how good Chara’s coat was last night, but you’re really feeling its absence now. But they said you weren’t far from Waterfall, so you just need to hurry. You’ll be out of the cold soon.

Soon.

A monster steps out in front of you. It’s a pink bunny, that’s at least twice your height and width. It’s wearing some costume armour, like the sort you could find at a costume shop on the Surface. It looks simultaneously angry and delighted.

“Human,” it growls.

You’ve been recognised.

What was it that Toriel and Chara said? That you’d be killed if you were recognised as a human?

Yeah, it was.

Crap.

The bunny points a spear at you, and the colours from the world around you fades to black and white. You’re dimly aware of some words floating close to the ground.

Nothing happens.

 _“Holy shit, you get to go first!”_ You hear Chara say inside your mind.

_“They speak!”_

_“Shut up, this is important. You’ve been taken into formal combat. It’s turn-based, so it can’t hurt you during your turn, and vice-versa. See that orange heart there?”_

You nod.

Chara laughs. _“That bunny’s thinking that you’re weird. Anyway, that’s your SOUL. It’s orange, for bravery. If it gets hit, your HP will deplete. If your HP reaches 0, you’ll die.”_

_“What do I do?”_

_“ACT to convince it to leave you alone, or FIGHT to make it. ITEM is to use something, but you only have GOLD which isn’t much use. MERCY to flee or spare.”_

Making it leave you alone sounds pretty good to you. You choose FIGHT and punch the bunny.

You deal 21 damage.

_“Weak.”_

_“That’s not helpful,”_ you say back.

The bunny aims its spear at the heart, at your SOUL.

Your SOUL suddenly starts moving around randomly.

 _“Are you doing that? Because I’m not?”_ Chara says.

 _“Not me,”_ you say, _“but I think I can...”_

Yes! You can bring your SOUL under control and move it how you want to. You just can’t make it stay still. But that shouldn’t be a problem, should it?

“Prepare to die, human!” yells the bunny. Its spear turns a pale blue colour and lands a direct hit on your SOUL.

You feel white hot pain flash through you as your HP drops down to 9/20.

_“Blue attacks. You can’t stay still, so treat them like any other.”_

Chara is _so_ helpful sometimes, aren’t they?

Anyway, it’s your turn again.

You choose to FIGHT and punch the bunny, harder this time.

You deal 37 damage.

The bunny aims, turns its spear blue, and strikes. Your SOUL is only grazed this time, leaving you with 4/20 HP.

You start to laugh at this number, but stop as you feel the concern coming from Chara. They aren’t finding this funny.

_“Why isn’t it sparing you? It’s max HP is 60! It’s nearly out!”_

You don’t respond to them, instead opting to ACT. Perhaps you can make it at least pause the fight. “Hey, uh, what are you actually doing? Attacking me in the middle of town, and all? It’s not smart.”

“Don’t question me, human!” yells the bunny. It turns its spear blue and strikes.

You try and dodge, but fail.

You feel a sharp pain as your HP drops to 0.

***

“You know, there’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity, Orange. And what you did there wasn’t so much crossing the line as it was ignoring it completely.” You shake your head at him. “Anyway, this is the menu-screen-thing I told you about. Believe me yet? Now, what you’re going to do, is hit ‘CONTINUE’. You’ll wake up in front of the inn. That’s where you SAVED, right? You’re going to go into the shop and spend that 50G you got on food. They’ll heal you in a FIGHT. Don’t argue with me! Just do it.

"That was a professional! It knew exactly what it was doing! Asgore must have been training up a military force or something. Call it paranoia if you want, but I don’t think we’re going to be able to sneak around that bunny. Besides, even if we do, having lots of food with us can’t hurt. And you _did_ enjoy those cinnamon buns, didn’t you?”  


	5. Weakness

Instantly, he is back in Snowdin, walking away from the inn and shop, as if nothing had happened. The sudden change in surroundings causes him to freeze in shock. He would've fallen onto the ground had you not caught him, taking control of his legs and keeping him upright. You play off the slight stumble as intentional to the small bear-monster that's staring at you, and turn back towards the shop.

_ “You okay in there?”  _ you ask.

_ “You were telling the truth,”  _ comes his response.  _ “Sorry I didn't believe you earlier. _

_ “Yeah, well, it doesn't matter now. You okay to walk on your own?” _

_ “I think so.” _

You hand control back to him and he finishes the short journey back to the shop.

The bunny at the counter recognises Orange immediately. “Back again? I swear you were just here!”

“Yeah, well, I have actual money this time.”

“Good, good. Would you like to buy back your glove?”

You feel him about to say that he would, so you clamp his mouth shut and shake his head.  _ “Food is more important. We’ll be in Waterfall soon anyway, so it doesn't matter.” _

He reluctantly agrees with you.

“Actually, I'm here for all the cinnamon buns I can buy with this.” He holds out the 50G.

The bunny quickly counts it up. “I can give you seven buns. You'll still have a piece of Gold left, though.”

“That's fine,” he says. He hands over the 49G and receives seven buns in return. He pockets them, and thanks the bunny as he leaves.

_ “Now would be a good time to SAVE,”  _ you say.

_ “How do I do that?” _

_ “Get determined about something. It doesn't matter what. Last night you SAVED by getting determined about going back to sleep.” _

You don't know what he chose, but you soon feel a pulse of determination come from him. You know he's done it right.

When he's done, he sets off walking back down the path through town towards Waterfall.

The bunny-knight stops him at the same point that it did before. Again, Orange has the first turn. He hesitates for a moment, before choosing to ACT.

“Uh, can I check how powerful this guy is, or...?”

It's like the world goes into slow motion. The bunny reacts at the pace of a Surface-snail as you find yourself saying to Orange,  _ “Pinbun. ATK - 10. DEF - 2. Wants nothing more than to eradicate humanity.” _

The moment you're done saying this, the world returns to its normal speed. “Why would I tell you anything? You're just a filthy human!” roars the bunny, who you guess must be called Pinbun, as it swings it's spear towards Orange’s SOUL. It doesn't turn it's spear blue, and Orange almost dodges it completely.

Almost.

His HP drops to 17/20.

Now it's his turn again, he stops to ask you,  _ “What the  _ hell  _ just happened?” _

_ “I don't know! I'm as freaked out as you are!” _

_ “Did you slow time down or something?” _

_ “I. Don't. Know. Nothing like that has ever happened before.” _

_ “Is there a word that triggers it or something? Because getting a quick bio like that, weird as it is, could be quite useful.” _

_ “We’ll just have to try it again next time, won't we?” _

_ “Hey, don't assume I'll fail at this!” _

You don't respond. He needs to get on with his turn. Pinbun looks impatient. 

Orange chooses to FIGHT. He hits Pinbun fairly hard, dealing 25 damage.

Pinbun retaliates with a swing of its spear, which it's turned blue, across the whole hitbox. Orange can't make his SOUL stay completely still for even a moment, meaning he has no way to dodge it. His HP drops to 6/20.

_ “What's the difference between blue and white attacks?” he asks you. “Because they hurt about the same so it's not how hard I'm being hit.” _

_ “If you can keep your SOUL completely still then blue attacks won't hurt you.” _

_ “But I  _ can't _ keep it still!” _

_ “Yeah, so if it does another sweep like that you're screwed.” _

It's Orange’s turn.

He’s about to choose to FIGHT again when you ‘gently’ remind him that eating monster food, like those buns you made him get, restores HP. He chooses to eat one, and it restores his HP to full.

Pinbun does another blue sweep of the hitbox. It's clearly figured out Orange’s weakness. His HP drops back down to 9/20.

_ “I can't just keep healing. I'll run out eventually.” _

_ “What else are you going to do?”  _ you ask.

He doesn't respond.

Instead, he uses his turn to FIGHT. He hits Pinbun with all of his strength and deals 40 damage. Which is more than enough to bring Pinbun’s own HP down to 0.

A monster died in front of you once before, when you were with Cyan. But you hadn't really had a chance to pay attention back then as you'd been killed by somebody else quickly after it happened. This time you're able to watch properly.

You'd heard the word ‘dust’ mentioned while you were alive. You'd sort of assumed that it was traditional to burn monsters once they die, like some people have on the Surface. Turns out you were wrong about this. When monsters die, they literally turn into dust right then and there. Pinbun looks shocked for a moment, before slowly disintegrating into a small gray pile that contrasts sharply with the snow on the ground. 

_ You gained 5 EXP. Your LOVE increased. _

Colour returns to the world. The townspeople are staring at you. At Orange.

_ “Next time,”  _ you say,  _ “how about you just try running away?” _


	6. Clear The Air

_ “Why don’t you just try running away?” _

_ “Run away?”  _ You can’t believe that they just suggested that. Run away? If somebody has a problem with you, you’ll face them head on! It’s what you’ve always done. You’re not going to stop now.

_ “Yes, run away. Because Pinbun’s now dead because of you and the rest of the town are  _ understandably _ angry about it.” _

You look around.

Oh.

You’re completely surrounded by monsters. Some are staring at the pile of ash that was once Pinbun. The rest are staring at you. Some look angry. Some look disgusted. Some don’t seem to show any clear emotions at all. But you guess they aren’t happy or they wouldn’t be crowding around you like this.

_ “Dust. It’s not ash, it’s dust.” _

Chara is  _ just so helpful!  _ These monsters are clearly angry with you and they’re busy correcting your terminology?  _ “Aren’t you going to help me?” _

_ “You’ve clearly got this.” _

It would seem that you are currently the only one not angry with you.

You turn on the spot, trying to face the right way to get to Waterfall. Once you’ve got it, you charge at the monsters blocking your way.

Some jump out of your way. Some get knocked to the ground. You have to push one particularly heavy and stubborn one of of the way. But you get through, and begin to run down the path.

You can hear the monsters behind you. Chasing you. They all know you’re human now, and they won’t let you get away.

_ “It’s not that you’re human. It’s because you killed their friend.” _

If Chara won’t help, then why won’t they just  _ shut up?!  _

_ “Interesting. If I focus a little, I can read your thoughts. To answer your question, why should I? You could’ve run away. You could’ve talked Pinbun down. Monsters are inherently kind, so I doubt it would’ve been too difficult. Especially as you are a child. But you didn’t do that. You decided to FIGHT, and now there’s a pile of dust where there was once a person. Why should I help you?” _

A monster darts out in front of you, forcing you to swerve to the side. You pause for breath behind a house, during which you respond,  _ “you could’ve  _ told  _ me what would happen. You could’ve stopped me!” _

_ “It’s just logic though, isn’t it? If you hit a human enough, it dies. Why shouldn’t the same be true for monsters?” _

_ “It was self defense!” _

_ “You had more than enough buns left to heal you, so no, that’s not acceptable. Plus you can effectively rewind time to undo your own death. You don’t really have any excuse for what you did.” _

You hear a shout, so start to run towards Waterfall before you can confirm whether it was because you were spotted or not. 

You’re running behind the houses, so not on the path. You occasionally trip and stumble but keep the pace as best you can.

That is, until the back door of one of the houses opens.

A mouse, about the same height as you, steps out and grabs you as you try to run past. It proves to be weirdly strong as it pulls you inside almost effortlessly, despite your struggling. It throws you into its basement and locks the door, leaving you down there alone.

You try and break the door down.

You fail.

You try again.

You fail again.

And now your shoulder hurts.

_ “Your HP is at 9/24. I suggest you eat a bun.” _

_ “If you’re angry with me then why are you helping me?” _

_ “It’s not like I have anything better to do.” _

You pull out a bun and eat it. Your HP returns to full.

_ “Hey, Chara, how come my max HP’s gone up?” _

_ “Beats me. Maybe because you gained ‘LOVE’, whatever  _ that  _ is.” _

_ “Ha! You’re not an expert, after all!” _

_ “I never claimed to be.” _

You don’t have anything else to say to them, so you find it a little convenient that the basement door reopens at that moment. You look up through it to see the mouse that threw you here. With it is practically the whole town.

At once, they all fire projectiles at you. They don’t even take you into formal battle. They just throw a variety of white and blue bullets at you. Your attempts to dodge the white ones allow the blue ones to strike. At every point of contact it feels like you’re being burnt and frozen simultaneously, and you’re just thinking about possibly wondering how that could be when you die. 

***

“See, it’s way more convenient to just throw stuff at humans. The formal battle structure makes it a lot easier for humans to survive. Hit us right, and our bodies are  _ weak.  _ Our SOULs can take so much more damage before they give out.”

You’re in what Chara called the Void. The choices are in front of you. The other person here, who you assumed last time you died was them, is talking to you.

“And to answer the question you were starting to ask, it’s because they’re using magic. That’s why it’s weirdly hot and cold at the same time. Magic attacks. I think focusing on what sort of pain it was, rather than that it was just pain, distracted you a little. So you died faster.”

You look around.

“It hasn’t changed since last time you were here, you know. Same old Void. Same old choices.”

“Chara,” you say, “I’m not so sure that I want to go back.”

They stop talking. They stare at you. Then, without a word, they walk back over to ‘CONTINUE’ and hit it.

***

You’re back by the inn.

_ “If you really want to let yourself  _ die _ , I’m not going to stop you. You can do what you like. I’m dead anyway, so what does it matter? But if you’d just not gone back then Pinbun would’ve stayed dead. And that’s not fair.” _

They sound upset about something. You turn and walk back towards the direction of the forest.

_ “Why are we going this way?” _

_ “I need to talk to you. There’s a chance I won’t get attacked over here. Less people.” _

You’re aiming to get back into the forest, but that idea gets destroyed when you reach what looks like a massive cliff. You can see the path continue on the other side, but you have no idea how to get over there.

_ “There’s a rock formation you can go across. If you’d like, I can get you over.” _

_ “No, here’s fine. Don’t worry.”  _ You sit on the edge and dangle your feet over. You can see the rock formation now. It’s a little to your right.

_ “So, what did you want to talk about?” _

_ “I wanted to ask what your problem is! You get angry that I killed someone, despite the fact that you could’ve easily stopped it from happening. You’re sad that this Cyan kid let themself die, but you explicitly say that you’re fine with me doing it. And your tone when you said that sounded like  _ you  _ were upset, but I have no idea why you would be!” _

There’s a pause, before Chara says,  _ “You’re right. I could’ve stopped it. It’s just...”  _ They stop for a moment, probably to get their thoughts in order.  _ “My family on the Surface, the humans, were terrible. The monsters were nothing but kind. Yes, I could’ve stopped you, but letting you continue kinda just confirmed what I already thought. That most humans were awful and monsters had been unfairly victimised by them.” _

_ “Pinbun was trying to kill me.” _

_ “I know. And I can’t really fault it for that. I doubt it was out of any genuine malice. They’ve all been trapped down here for so long...”  _ They trail off.

_ “And the letting-myself-die thing?” _

_ “I don’t have much power to stop you, if you really wanted to. Or any power, to be honest. Cyan was  _ seven  _ and they were able to do it, so you could too. But I didn’t want to let Pinbun stay dead. It hadn’t actually done anything wrong.” _

_ “It tried to  _ kill  _ me.” _

They laugh.  _ “So you keep saying. But its family and friends would’ve mourned it. They would’ve been without someone that they loved. That wouldn’t have been fair on them. Plus, leaving Pinbun dead would’ve made Asgore feel like this decree of his is justified. It’s not.” _

_ “Didn’t you just say that you hate humanity?” _

_ “The people who fall down here must’ve had  _ something  _ bad happen to them to make them climb that mountain. Didn’t you?”  _ They take your lack of a response as a ‘yes’.  _ “The kids who fall into the Underground are victims of humanity’s cruelty. Using their SOULs to break the barrier would work, but it’s not very fair.” _

_ “...Are you still angry with me?” _

_ “Not really. Pinbun’s okay, isn’t it? Then we’re good. Do  _ you _ still want to die?” _

You hadn’t been expecting that question. You think about it for a moment, then stand up.  _ “Not exactly. I’m going to try my hardest to get out of here, but the next time I die I’m not going to come back.” _

_ “Fair enough,”  _ comes their response.

You turn, leaving the massive drop behind you, and walk back towards the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think i'm going to try to keep it at one pov per chapter from now on. it should actually make it easier to write, as well as read


	7. The Lost And Brave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tend to upload the moment i finish writing, which is why i'll suddenly upload loads at once and then nothing for ages. sorry about that : )
> 
> warning for child death

At your suggestion, Orange doesn’t walk down the middle of the path through Snowdin Town. Instead, he walks behind the houses, next to the trees bordering the river. Less people see him that way, and those that do don’t seem to realise that he’s human.

But he gets spotted by Pinbun. Or course he does.

Pinbun had been watching from the side of the path that Orange is walking on, so you’d hoped that you’d be able to slip behind it, unnoticed.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

Pinbun heard the crunch of snow behind it and turned so fast there was no chance to hide. It only takes it a millisecond to realise that Orange is, in fact, not a monster, and therefore must be a human. Colour drains from the world as Pinbun triggers a formal battle.

_ “Okay, Orange, it’s your turn first.” _

Orange chooses to ACT, and speaks to it. “Hi, my name’s *****. What’s yours?”

Pinbun roars. “I don’t  _ care  _ what your name is, human!” It stabs its spear at Orange’s SOUL, who manages to dodge it completely.

Orange ACTs. “Human? You must be mistaken. I am not a human.”

“Do you think I’m an  _ idiot?”  _ It turns its spear blue and stabs at his SOUL. He doesn’t quite get out of the way this time. His HP drops to 14/20.

Orange ACTs. “No, I don’t, but it was worth a shot. Sorry.”

Pinbun doesn’t speak. It leave its spear white and swings. It doesn’t quite cover the whole hitbox, so it was possible to dodge. But Orange is not great at dodging. His HP drops to 8/20.

Orange ACTs. “Why are you attacking me? Please stop doing that! It hurts!”

“This is for the good of all monsters!” It swings its spear, this time turning it blue and covering the whole hitbox. There’s no way for him to dodge it, as his SOUL will not stay still. His HP drops to 3/20.

Orange eats a bun. His HP is fully restored.

Pinbun sends a flurry of bullets. Some are blue and some aren’t. If Orange had been able to stop his SOUL from moving, he may have been able to dodge all of them. But he can’t, so he doesn’t. His HP drops to 15/20.

Orange ACTs. “Please! I’m only a child. I just want to go home. Please let me go home!”

Pinbun scoffs. “Even if I let you through, there’s no way you’ll make it out. Someone else will get you.  _ Asgore  _ will get you. He got the last human who dared come here!” It stabs its spear at Orange’s SOUL, but he dodges it.

Orange ACTs. “I heard about the last human. Did you also know that they were a kid? They were younger than me, and were down here completely by accident. Your King murdered an innocent child.”

Pinbun fixes Orange with a cold, hard stare. “Humanity is in no way innocent.” It sweeps the hitbox with a white spear, leaving a small space uncovered. He manages to find it this time, and takes no damage.

Orange ACTs. “I’d say there’s something pretty innocent about a scared seven-year-old who just wanted to go home to their Mum. And Asgore killed them. Brutally, from what I’ve heard. He didn’t even give them a chance to defend themself, like you’re doing with me now.”

Pinbun continues glaring as it sweeps with a blue spear. There’s no way for Orange to dodge, causing his HP to drop to 4/20.

Orange eats a bun. His HP is fully restored.

Pinbun stabs with two spears this time. One’s white and one’s blue. Orange successfully dodges both.

He ACTs. “Do you really want to stoop to his level? Do you really want to become a murderer?”

Pinbun doesn’t respond. You think that it’s done responding, and tell Orange so. It sweeps with a blue spear, and Orange’s HP drops to 9/20.

_ “Do you think I can survive another turn without healing?” he asks you. _

_ “Not if it swings with blue like that. Otherwise probably. Are you going to risk it?” _

_ “...No.” _

Orange eats a bun. His HP is fully restored.

Pinbun throws out a load of bullets. All of them are white, but Orange doesn’t manage to dodge them all. His HP drops to 16/20.

Orange ACTs. “You’re still fighting me. Surely you’ve noticed I’m not fighting back by now? I’m not a threat!”

_ “Bending the truth there a little, aren’t you?” _

_ “Shut up,”  _ he says.

Pinbun doesn’t respond. It stabs at his SOUL with a white spear. Orange doesn’t manage to dodge it entirely and his HP drops to 11/20.

_ “The blue sweeps always deal 11 damage,”  _ you say, _ “so I recommend you heal now or you could die next turn.” _

He nods in agreement, which causes Pinbun to look at him strangely.

Orange eats a bun. His HP is fully restored.  _ “I only have three left. What do I do when I run out?”  _ he asks.

_ “Pray,”  _ you say,  _ “or run, or die. Which you choose is up to you.” _

_ “I won’t run.”  _ he says to you, before focusing his attention back on the battle.

Pinbun stabs with multiple spears. Some of them are white and some are blue. Orange somehow runs into a couple, causing his HP to drop to 12/20.

Orange shows MERCY. “I’m not going to start fighting you, either.”

Pinbun ignores him. It sweeps with a blue spear. His HP drops to 1/20.

Orange eats a bun. His HP is fully restored.

Pinbun sweeps with a white spear. He manages to dodge it completely.

Orange shows MERCY. “I will not fight you.”

Pinbun decides to respond this time. “Good,” it says, “that makes this easier.” It stabs with a white spear, and manages to strike Orange’s SOUL dead on. His HP drops to 13/20.

Orange shows MERCY. He chooses not to speak.

Pinbun stabs with a blue spear, and misses.

Orange shows MERCY. He chooses not to speak.

Pinbun sweeps with a blue spear. Orange’s HP drops to 2/20.

_ “Run away. I’m serious, Orange! It’s looking more and more likely that you’ll die if you don’t.” _

_ “Running away from my problems is what got me  _ into  _ this mess. I’m not going to do it again.”  _ He doesn’t elaborate further.

Orange eats a bun. His HP is fully restored.

Pinbun sends out a load of bullets. Orange doesn’t manage to dodge all of them, and his HP drops to 14/20.

Orange ACTs. “Why are you still doing this?”

Pinbun responds only by sending out a  _ lot  _ of spears. You see an area that it isn’t aiming for, but Orange doesn’t and is struck multiple times. His HP drops to 5/20.

Orange eats a bun. His HP is fully restored.

He is also completely out of buns. He can’t heal himself anymore. Pinbun can’t be reasoned with, and Orange can’t heal himself, and he  _ refuses  _ to run away.

You can’t help but feel like you have to just accept that he’s not going to make it.

Pinbun sweeps with a blue spear. Orange’s HP drops to 9/20.

Orange shows MERCY. He chooses not to speak.

Pinbun stabs with a blue spear. It grazes Orange’s SOUL, causing his HP to drop to 5/20.

_ “Orange, please, try running. Please. At least  _ try _!” _

A slight pause, and then you hear his response.  _ “...I’m sorry.” _

Orange shows MERCY. “I’m not fighting you. I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to become like Asgore. I’m not going to become like you.”

Pinbun sweeps with a blue spear. Orange’s HP drops to 0, and he dies.

***

You’re both back in the Void.

“That’s it then. I tried.”

You grab him by the shoulders and shake him a little. “No! You didn’t try! You could’ve run! You could’ve gotten away!”

He steps away, forcing you to let go. “I  _ could’ve  _ run. But I was cowardly like that once before. That’s how I ended up falling. I promised myself I’d never do that again.”

“That promise just killed you.”

He shrugs. “Yeah, I guess it did. But if that’s the only way I’ll get past it, then I’m fine with this instead.”

“Fine.” You walk away from him and turn your back. “Go. Let yourself die, then. It doesn’t really make a difference to me! I’m dead anyway. I’ll just help the  _ next  _ kid who falls get home.”

“I hope they make it.”

When you turn back around, both him and the options are gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blue's next !! i've been looking forward to writing about her since i first started this series !!!!

**Author's Note:**

> if you comment i will love you forever
> 
> also please tell me if i've made any mistakes anywhere so i can correct them
> 
> my tumblr is [here](http://astralpenguin.tumblr.com) if you want to talk to me : D


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